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US Supports Letting Palestinian Refugees Starve |
| By
Stephen Lendman |
| Israel imposed a near-starvation diet on two million Gazans - enforced
by its illegal blockade, supported and encouraged by Washington and its
rogue allies. In December, the Trump administration pledged $45 million in emergency food and other aid for around a million West Bank and Gaza refugees. In January, it formally approved the aid. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) purchased millions of dollars of food and other vital supplies, anticipating Washington’s pledge would be honored - a bad assumption. US administrations under Republicans and undemocratic Dems can never be trusted, most often saying one thing and doing another - ignoring its own needy people, showing the same contempt toward Palestinian refugees, dependent on vital aid to survive. Washington reneged on its emergency aid pledge. It’s not forthcoming, the funds frozen. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert lied, saying “we made very clear that we would need to confirm (the funding) later, so upon reviewing that we’re not able to provide that at this time.” Trump administration policy is all about pressuring the Palestinian leadership to bend to its will - uncaring about Palestinian refugees dependent on its funding for enough food to eat, for education and healthcare. Their suffering is of no consequence to rogue governance in Washington. The Trump administration doesn’t care if they live or die, eat or starve. US relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA) soured dramatically after Trump’s deplorable Jerusalem declaration. He contemptuously spurned a core Palestinian issue, siding with Israel against their fundamental rights, ruling out his administration as an honest broker in peace talks or anything else between both sides. UNWRA is stuck with unpaid bills at a time Trump cut half its aid to the agency, along with reneging on its pledged $45 million in emergency food aid - in total, funds needed to keep Palestinians from starving, for healthcare, education and other essentials. On Friday, reports surfaced about a typhoid outbreak at the blockaded Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, located 8 km from Damascus. It’s home to thousands of refugees. Typhoid is an infectious disease, caused by Salmonella typhi bacteria, spread through contaminated food or water or close contact with an infected individual. Treatment with antibiotics is essential. Untreated it’s life-threatening. Palestinians are vulnerable to illnesses, diseases, malnutrition and deaths without essential aid UNWRA provides. Its spokesman Chris Gunness called the Yarmouk typhoid outbreak “desperate.” Known cases may be “the tip of the iceberg,” he said. Lack of proper “public health standards” and unavailable medical treatment pose the risk of a “massive” epidemic. US-supported al-Nusra terrorists in the camp left its refugees without enough food, water, medical supplies or proper care. Cutting off aid to UNWRA by the Trump administration makes a bad situation much worse for five million Palestinian refugees in dozens of camps. Administration hardliners Nikki Haley, Jared Kushner and others favor a total cutoff of Palestinian humanitarian aid unless its leadership agrees to US-brokered no-peace/peace talks. Washington and Israel demand Palestinian surrender to their demands - agreeing to occupation harshness in perpetuity, continued subjugation of an entire people, terms no responsible leadership can accept. VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html |